


Teeth and Tail

by ladyillusion



Series: Divergent Worlds [2]
Category: Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms, 幽☆遊☆白書 | YuYu Hakusho: Ghost Files
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Audio Format: MP3, Gen, Kitsune, One Shot, Podfic Available
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-06-22 05:58:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19661248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyillusion/pseuds/ladyillusion
Summary: There was something not quite right about her eyes. They reminded him of… the stranger in the forest. His eyes had that same focused, predatory look as the old lady had now.The old lady rose to her feet, far too gracefully for her elderly, stooped frame. Yusuke took a step back.“Who are you?” he asked.





	Teeth and Tail

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is available in audio form for those who would prefer to listen rather than read. Please note that this is a text to speech recording, which means that there may be some issues with it.
> 
> [Stream or download MP3 via Google Drive](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VKzH6SdFf5Ke12md8th_0QczNWfRLHQJ/view?usp=sharing)

The trees of the forest surrounding Yusuke were dark sentinels reaching for him with gnarled arms. Sunlight dappled through the canopy onto the forest floor before him. He strode along the worn path, eyes fixed ahead into the gloom. The basket his mother had pushed on him dangled from one arm.

Yusuke’s irritation boiled in his veins as he thought about how he’d rather be with his friends loitering around the market or chasing after the innkeeper’s pretty daughter. Not traipsing through the forest to visit the old hag.

But his mother had insisted. Tucked inside the basket were small fruits from the market and various herbs and medicines.

Disturbed by the silence of the old forest, Yusuke began to whistle. His cheery song smothered the silence and buoyed Yusuke’s spirits.

The song cut off abruptly as a figure stepped out of the trees several meters in front of Yusuke. The young man paused to look the stranger over.

A stranger he was. Yusuke had never seen this man before. If he was from the village, then Yusuke would know him.

He was taller than Yusuke. Long, silken red hair fell past slim shoulders. Velvet green eyes studied Yusuke with detached curiosity. He wore plain clothes. Most unusually, he carried no bag. If he were travelling, then where were his provisions? The nearest village was two days away.

Something about the stranger’s eyes made Yusuke uneasy. They were too clear, too sharp, too focused. Like the eyes of a hawk.

“Good morning, sir,” the stranger said. His voice was that of a teenager.

“Good morning,” Yusuke said warily.

The stranger’s eyes drifted to the basket on Yusuke’s arm.

“May I ask your business today?” he asked.

Yusuke saw no reason not to answer the question. It wasn’t like it was a big secret. He made these trips regularly. The whole village knew about the hag and her surprisingly effective medicines. Yusuke often went back and forth through the forest for those too elderly, too sick or too busy to do it for themselves. He also helped the old woman maintain her cottage.

“I’m taking this to the grandma’s place,” Yusuke said, raising his arm to indicate the basket. “You probably passed it on your way.”

The stranger frowned. “The small cottage near the bridge across the stream?” he asked.

“Yeah. That’s the one.”

The stranger’s gaze remained clear and locked on Yusuke. Yusuke forced down his misgivings. The guy looked young and kind of skinny. His clothes hung off him like they were made for someone bigger. His shoes were… wait, he wasn’t even wearing any shoes.

Yusuke brought his gaze up from the stranger’s dirty bare feet to meet his eyes, feeling sympathy well up inside him.

“The village is just an hour down this path,” he said. “As long as you don’t make a nuisance of yourself, you’ll be able to stay the night.”

“Thank you.”

“I, ah, gotta get going. Grandma gets pissed if I don’t get there before lunch.”

The stranger nodded, though he remained still. Yusuke stepped around him. The uneasy feeling returned as he continued on down the path. He felt as though he’d turned his back on a wolf.

But when he turned around to see if the stranger had taken his advice and was heading for the village, he found that there was no sign of him. The path behind him was empty, as if the stranger had never been there at all.

Yusuke resumed his walk to the old hag’s house. After several long minutes, his mood began to pick up and he started to whistle again. He ambled along, taking his time. Contrary to his words to the stranger, he actually wasn’t in much of a hurry. It had just been an excuse to get out from beneath those wolfish emerald eyes.

Yusuke stopped briefly to wash his face in the clear, bubbling water of the stream. He remembered that he and his friends used to swim there as children. None of the village children came out here anymore. Not since…

Yusuke tried to banish the memories but they surfaced again. If he turned his head to the left, he would see the spot where he and Kuwabara had dragged a sodden, limp form up out of the stream. Black hair pooling on the grass, emerald eyes closed above deathly blue cheeks…

Yusuke shook his head so hard that he practically felt his brain rattle in his skull. He splashed water on his face again. It had been years ago. The memory should have faded by now but it was as vibrant and colourful as it had been that very day.

Maybe it was the stranger’s eyes that had brought it back. They were very similar.

That probably also explained the uneasy feeling that had swept over Yusuke at the sight of him. Maybe subconsciously, he’d felt that he was looking at a ghost.

Yusuke rose and crossed the bridge to the homely cottage waiting for him on the other side of the stream. He knocked firmly on the door before barging right in.

“Grandma!” he bellowed, his loud voice carrying easily to every corner of the cottage.

From behind the kitchen counter, a short figure emerged. Pink hair dulled by the passing of years was tied back from a wrinkled face but the eyes were as sharp and lively as those belonging to someone half her age.

“It’s about time, boy,” she said, her voice gravelly. “Leave that here. I’ve got a wood pile out back that needs restocking. You know where everything is.”

Yusuke stared into those bright eyes, the uneasy feeling returning to his thoughts. But there was no reason for it, was there? This was how the old lady always spoke to him. She was always direct and rude. A privilege of age, he supposed.

He left the basket on the kitchen counter and went out the back door, the boots he’d never bothered taking off leaving dirty marks on the floor. He’d no doubt be ordered to clean that up later.

The request for wood hadn’t surprised him. He’d been expecting it, as winter was creeping up. His trips would become less frequent in the next few months until the snow melted.

Yusuke was drenched with sweat when he dropped the last piece of wood onto the pile. He returned the axe to it’s usual place and went back inside the cottage.

Immediately his hackles went up. There was something wrong. The kitchen was a mess. Someone had gone through all of the cupboards, their contents strewn across the counter and floor. Yusuke’s basket was upturned on the counter, though he didn’t know where the items it had contained were. Probably lost somewhere in the chaos.

In the middle of the chaos was a sight that Yusuke had never expected to see. The old lady was kneeling on the floor, blueberry juice covering her hands and her chin.

“Grandma?” Yusuke asked uncertainly, as he wondered if she’d finally lost her marbles.

There was something not quite right about her eyes. They reminded him of… the stranger in the forest. His eyes had that same focused, predatory look as the old lady had now.

The old lady rose to her feet, far too gracefully for her elderly, stooped frame. Yusuke took a step back.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Grandma, of course,” the woman said, her tone as waspish as it had been earlier.

“Who are you?” Yusuke repeated more firmly. How long would it take him to get outside and get the axe? Too long, he suspected. Judging by the grace with which the woman had stood, he didn’t think that he could outrun her.

Her, or whatever she was.

One thing was certain. This wasn’t his grandma.

“I’m—”

Yusuke cut her off, sure that he was about to be lied to again. If he couldn’t run from the creature, then he’d face it head-on. He took a threatening step forward as he said, “Who are you?!”

To his surprise, the creature stepped back, eyes wide. A flicker of something caught Yusuke’s eye. That looked like…

Yusuke dove forward, hands reaching out. His first swipe missed, but the creature, no doubt assuming that Yusuke was coming directly for it, sidestepped. That put Yusuke’s goal within his reach. His finger’s snagged on a bushy red tail.

The creature immediately transformed into a fox, taking Yusuke completely by surprise. He struggled to hold onto the tail as the fox screamed and gnashed it’s teeth at Yusuke, trying to twist around to get to him.

But Yusuke refused to let go. This thing might have hurt, or even killed, the old lady. He had to find out if she was okay.

Claws scrabbled on smooth tile as Yusuke struggled to keep both his feet and his grip. Finally, Yusuke managed to grab the basket off the counter and hit the fox with it. He didn’t bother aiming for any particular spot. He just struck at every part of the squirming, howling body he could reach.

His grip on the basket broke. It tumbled to the floor. The fox followed it, sprawling on the ground, sides heaving with harsh, pained breaths. Yusuke finally released it’s tail.

“What did you do with Grandma?” he demanded, fingers twisting the fox’s ear, causing a yelp of pain.

The fox’s form shifted once again, the sight turning Yusuke’s stomach. He thought briefly that it would turn into some grotesque, brutish monster and attack him again, but the form it took this time was surprisingly benign.

It was the red-headed stranger from the forest. Jade green eyes blinked fearfully up at Yusuke. The stranger licked his lips before speaking.

“I didn’t hurt her,” he said. “She’s in the closet in the bedroom.”

Yusuke wavered uncertainly. Should he go and free the old lady now? But the fox would no doubt escape if he did. Yusuke still had questions for him.

Well, if the old lady had been fine this long, then he doubted another few minutes would make much difference.

“Why did you do this?” he asked, a hand sweeping out to gesture around them at the mess.

The fox looked around himself as he knelt on the kitchen floor, his expression managing to turn both sheepish and defensive at the same time.

“I was hungry,” he admitted. “I haven’t eaten in such a long time…”

Yusuke snorted as he leaned against the counter. The creature just looked pathetic now. “You’re a fox, right?” he asked. “Do what all the other foxes do. Hunt for your food.”

Leaf-green eyes narrowed above a thin nose. “I can’t.” The admission was given in a flat tone.

“You… can’t?” Yusuke asked in disbelief.

The fox boy pressed his red lips stained by berry juice together. “I was raised in a village,” he said carefully. “They fed me… until a neighbouring lord claimed the land. I was driven out of the village. The villagers were too scared of the new lord to help me.”

“You never learned to hunt for yourself,” Yusuke said, understanding dawning on him. “They raised you… like a human?”

The fox nodded. He rose slowly to his feet. Yusuke peered curiously around him. As if guessing what he was looking for, a white tipped tail flicked briefly into sight before it tucked down against the redhead’s backside.

Yeah, that would be hard to hide for any length of time. No wonder the fox was having trouble finding a new home. Most folk weren’t fond of kitsune. They were widely regarded as troublemakers at best. Vile beasts at worst.

“Wait here.”

The fox nodded in answer to Yusuke’s demand, eyes hooded beneath red bangs. Yusuke pointed a finger at his nose.

“Wait here,” he repeated.

“Yes, sir.”

Satisfied that the fox wasn’t going anywhere for the moment, Yusuke headed into the bedroom. He found the old lady exactly where the fox had promised she was. The kitsune had used the bedsheets to tie her up. Her eyes flashed furiously at him as he removed the makeshift gag.

“It’s about damn time. Get me out of these, boy,” she snapped at him.

As Yusuke worked at the knots, she demanded, “Is that kitsune still here?”

Yusuke nodded. “He’s in the kitchen,” he said, as the old lady shook her arms free of the sheets.

“That little bastard attacked me,” she hissed.

“Um, maybe go easy on him?” Yusuke suggested, looking up at her from where he was working at her bony ankles. “I think he’s sorry.”

He hoped the fox was sorry, anyway. He really should be sorry.

The old lady stomped out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

“You!” she barked at the fox boy, who comically jumped to attention, his posture straight as a pole, a half-eaten red apple in his hand. Her eyes briefly skimmed the kitchen before returning to the fox. “You’re going to clean every bit of this up,” she snapped at him. “Every bit,” she reiterated.

The fox sheepishly nodded.

Yusuke was privately glad that he hadn’t been assigned the task. His glee faded, however, when he was told to put the bedroom back in order. It seemed that the old lady didn’t plan on doing anything herself.

* * *

The sun had dipped below the trees when Yusuke was finally allowed to leave the small cottage by the stream. He paced down the path, empty basket on his arm. Striding silently along beside him was the fox boy, his hands shoved in his pockets and his eyes on the path beneath them. His feet were still bare, though he never complained. He was probably used to it.

The old lady had proposed a solution for the fox’s predicament. Yusuke wasn’t sure if he was happy about it or not. It could backfire in their faces very badly.

Night had fully closed in around them as Yusuke led the fox up to a small house on the edge of the village. Soft light peeked out from behind the curtains in the windows like shy children. Yusuke rapped his knuckles on the door.

It opened to reveal the weary, strained face of a familiar woman. Yusuke felt guilt nag at him. He’d done his best to avoid this woman for years. Now he had to face her.

“Good evening, Ms. Minamino,” he said.

Dark eyes widened. “Yusuke,” she said in surprise. “What are you doing here at this time?”

“May we come in?” Yusuke asked.

“Of course.” She stepped back, opening the door wide. Yusuke entered the home, the fox on his heels.

Shiori Minamino studied the stranger with interest as she returned to her chair. Yusuke noticed that she was halfway through mending a shirt. The colour was Shuichi’s favourite green. A lump formed in Yusuke’s throat.

“You’re not from the village, are you, young man?” Shiori addressed the fox directly.

Emerald eyes rose from his feet to stare warily at her from beneath red hair. “That’s right, ma’am,” he said.

“This is… damn, I never even got your name. What is it?” Yusuke asked, missing the slight, amused smile that flitted across Shiori’s face, briefly banishing the sadness from her dark eyes.

The fox hesitated before answering. “It’s Kurama,” he said.

“Right. Kurama,” Yusuke said. He turned back to Shiori. “Kurama needs somewhere to stay,” he said.

Shiori’s eyebrows rose. “Oh?” she asked. “But why did you bring him here, Yusuke?”

“Because… because most folk won’t want him around,” Yusuke admitted. “Show her, Kurama.”

Kurama turned his back on the woman, bringing his fluffy tail into view, before turning back around, his eyes downcast once more.

Shiori went still. “I see,” she said quietly.

Yusuke didn’t say anything, letting her consider his request. He really wasn’t sure she would let Kurama stay, though the old lady had seemed much more certain.

Shiori’s eyes skimmed over the room, to the forest-green shirt that sat waiting on the table to be finished. To the cup half-full of tea that had been a gift from her son. To the roses on the table, the flowers that had been his favourite.

The guilt returned, compounding Yusuke’s uncertainty. He should have gotten Shuichi out of the water sooner, should have gotten help faster… should never have let him in the water in the first place. Though Shiori had never given any indication that she blamed Yusuke for her son’s death, he blamed himself anyway.

“W-we’ll find somewhere else,” Yusuke said in a rush. “Maybe my mother will—”

Kurama began to edge toward the door, his expression defeated and resigned.

“Wait,” Shiori said. She reached out one hand to Kurama. “You can stay.”

Kurama stared at the offered hand warily. He made his way to her, steps as hesitant as a newborn foal. He stopped before her, though he made no move to take her hand.

“If you don’t have room…” he said uncertainly.

Idiot, Yusuke thought. Why was he giving her another chance to refuse?

“My son’s room is empty,” Shiori said quietly.

Yusuke couldn’t stay any longer. He had to get out of this place, steeped in painful memory as it was.

“I, ah, gotta get home,” he said anxiously. “Ma will be worried about me. I’ll see you tomorrow, Kurama. Night, Ms. Minamino.”

With that hasty goodbye, Yusuke fled the small home as if it were on fire. He took the long way back to his own home, weaving around behind the baker’s and the inn.

When he arrived home, his mother was not, as he’d told Shiori, worried about him. She was already asleep, the house dark and silent. Yusuke slid beneath his own bedcovers. His dreams were filled with visions of a boy with long black hair, laughing emerald eyes and a mischievous, confident smile. A smile lost to the mists of memory.

Shuichi’s death had left it’s mark on the village. Left a hole in his mother’s heart. A hole that the stranger couldn’t fill. But perhaps he could bring back a mother’s smile and help her look to the future.

As for Yusuke, he was sure that Shuichi would never fully leave his thoughts. He’d carried the guilt for too long. But, like every other problem he faced in his life, Yusuke refused to dwell on it. He stubbornly moved forward, chasing his own dreams with single-minded determination.

He had a feeling that, once Kurama settled in and got over his shyness, things would get very interesting. His pretty looks alone were going to ruffle some feathers. He’d heard stories of how charming kitsune could be. If Kurama shared and chose to exercise that trait, the results would be extremely entertaining.

And if he also shared a mischievous streak, the same sort of streak that Shuichi had possessed, then ‘entertaining’ would be a mild word for the events to come.


End file.
